From Pre-Built to Gaming PC | Dell XPS 8700 Upgrade 

Rebuilt my 8700. Corsair 275r Case, GTX 1060 6GB, 960GB SSD, 650w PSU. Very happy with the turn out.

Thanks for this video! This is totally my approach when it comes to gaming PC. XPS 8700 is my current desktop (2020) and I bought it in 2013 during university years (budget!) >Upgraded GPU to GTX 660 >Upgraded PSU to RM650 >Upgraded to SSD 850 EVO 250GB >Upgraded GPU to GTX 1060 6G >Upgraded wireless card to AC1300 My next project is totally to change the case+cpu+ram

This is my PC. Upgraded to a GTX 1060 3gb. Smooth for me.

2020 update here: I upgraded the R9 270 to the new GTX 1650 Super for $165. It was a perfect plug-and-play card with 6-pin connector. My benchmark performance saw an increase of 31% increase in graphics performance., 4% increase to desktop performance, and 6% increase to workstation performance. Literally the only upgrade I made was to the graphics card. So I highly recommend this particular card for the XPS 8700 with the latest BIOS. You won't see a better improvement for your money.

Nice camera shots!

wow thanks for the vid, we have a dell xps8700 in my family but i wasnt never able to modify it being a novice and learning pc builder. now i know thx

Upgraded my 8700 to a musetex case. Changed the hdd to ssd. Upgraded my 720 GT to RX 570. Stock PSU to bronze 750 watt. Im still using the stock MOBO and i7 4790k. Im currently using a 8 Gb Ram planning to upgrade it to 16 Gb. So far I run CS GO/Valorant/League on a 140-200 fps.

Thanks for the video. I recently needed Windows 10 for remote work and didn't want to mix macOS or Linux personal data with Windows work. Picked up a stripped (case, MB, power supply) Dell XPS 8700 off ebay for $90. Added i7-4970, 32gb RAM, 1tb mSATA SSD (C:\), 4x 1tb HDD RAID0 (C:\Users) and a 2gb Nvidia GTX 960 (came w/ 2x 4 to 6-pin adapter). Clean install of Windows 10 Pro went well (drivers available from Dell through Win10) until I configured the RAID0. Moving C:\Users to the RAID0: 1. Trashes user data and 2. No MS OneDrive. Fix 1: Created NTFS mount pount by using an Install user account during install, moved C:\Users to RAID, activated Administrator, deleted Install user, and created Admin/User account for work. Fixed 2: OneDrive cannot use the hard link to the RAID for local data, so just used my Apple iCloud for remote data drops. Otherwise, this box is so much a monster I will be dumping my i5 backup MBP when remote work is done. I'll make my i7 MBP backup/portable and the XPS will be primary w/ a Dell 2405FPW display and Wacom Cintiq 21UX.

This is a great video and provides solid information to people new to PC building but I had a few thoughts if we are strictly trying to upgrade on a budget. I have the exact same PC in my home theater: > You did not test the system on any games prior to the upgrades, this system can run all but the newest AAA titles albeit with the settings dialed back depending on the game. Without a single change I'm running Switch emulation at 60fps. People new to the scene would do well to spend some time seeing if it runs the games they want to play first before going straight to upgrades. > You upgraded the CPU cooler but the stock cooler for me rarely lets the CPU rise above 70 degree's and is quieter then the graphics card fan. I know you got it to 90 degree's in synthetic tests but that's not realistic to the average user. This would suggest the upgrade here wasn't warranted. > You upgraded the PSU but admit the stock PSU is very good (most reviews agree). Over powered PSU's are a bit of a trap, I would say this upgrade was also not warranted. > This probably comes back to my first point, but in a pinch the R9 270 is no slouch. Set all the tuning sliders in AMD's software to max, set the fan to 85% and use the Vulcan API in games if it's available for the best performance. If you do want to play a game that requires more horsepower then the upgrade to the GTX 970 is a solid upgrade, but looping back to my first point I'd suggest trying this card on the games you want to play first. To be clear I think if you WANT to do the above upgrades that's great, but people new to the scene should understand there may be little to no real world benefit for their use-case. Also just an FYI storage wise you also have the option to populate one of the M.2 drives with a M.2 SSD, it's not any better or worse then a SSD SATA drive but saves a little cabling Anyway these are just my opinions and YMMV, I think the rest of your advice is fantastic. Thanks for the great video

I know this is old, but wanted to thank you anyway. I just transplanted my xps 700 MB and CPU into a new case. Your pinout made it easy. I expected some issues with the PSU swap and the power button(saw videos saying you need to jump some pins), but I had no issues at all. Also I thought the IO shield was fixed in the Dell case, but mine popped right out in into my new case. Was a very easy swap to case with 750W PSU and dropped in an RTX 3070 I scored a month ago.

Great info, Thanks! I'm about to do this with same Dell to a Mastercase 5.

Glad I found this video, I'm looking to do the exact same thing to a Dell XPS 8900 (pretty much exactly the same, except it has an i7 6700). Going with a different case (fractal design focus G), and an rtx 2070 super. Glad to get a heads up on some of the issues I will be dealing with. Looks like the biggest issue will be with i/o pinout, and making sure the bios are updated.

great video! I have a Enthoo Pro M case coming in this week and going to do my first attempt at upgrading my stock Dell XPS 8500. Looking forward to all the challenges lol

This is the PC I have, thank you so much for this video!

My PC is a Dell Inspiron 660s I got as a gift from a friend, it had a Pentium g2020, 8 GB of DDR3 RAM 1333 mhz and an AMD 6450 1gb GDDR3 and stock Dell 220W PSU, it was a friend's previous gaming rig, and I ordered an i5 3470 for $40 and replaced gpu with an AMD HD 7750 1 GB GDDR5 for $55. I plan on changing the case and PSU later down the line once I find a job to pay for my school and have some money to upgrade my rig as I go.

Hmmmm...very interesting. I have the 8700. I was going to upgrade the gtx 970 card I have in there now to the new 1660 ti card but I may as well upgrade the case and the fans as well after watching this. I really don't want to upgrade the mobo and ram just yet as it still proves to be a pretty solid machine. I have already upgraded the PSU to a 550w as well as the HDD to a 1TB SSD earlier last year. Thanks for the video!

I wanted to thank you for inspiring me to upgrade the old optiplex that was wasting away in my basement. It was a good machine but without changing the case I knew adding a graphics card would make the already bad thermals of my case even worse. I added an AIO liquid cooler, SSD, graphics card, more RAM and a better power supply to a new case and carried over only my motherboard, CPU, and included two 2gb sticks of DDR3. It required some pretty tedious modifications to work but in the end I spent less 400$ on a mix of used and new hardware to turn an old machine into a fully functional gaming PC. It even has RGB. Too bad I still get an annoying CPU and case fan error on boot as I used a Molex fan adapter to power my four 120mm fans and my AIO. Also it took 3 tries to find a network card that would work with the "ancient" q77 chipset and even then it only works in the pci-e 1x slot.

I put a EVGA RTX 2060 XC into my XPS 8700 about a year ago and was able to run most games at ultra settings. Now looking to put in an SSD and maybe transfer to a new case. Perhaps a motherboard and cpu upgrade later.

Why not upgrade the ddr3 ram to 16 instead of 8

I put a 800 watt psus and a 1tb ssd plus a Asus GTX 1070 ti overclocked and my Samsung odyssey plus vr rig and all runs great

Im running a GTX 970 on this PC, no problems on my end, although I do admit that getting the cables to reach was tricky.

Thank you for the insight!! Not really a gamer but have the XPS 8700 and wanted to upgrade without the Dell $3200 new computer with absolutely nothing in it... Sad Will try to make mine more sound/ video editing or recording machine!!

Just upgraded my GeForce GT 635 on my XPS 8700. Now runs a GTX 1050ti with no problems whatsoever and it runs like a BEAST!!

I have this computer, so far I've put a GTX 1650 super in it and a boot SSD. Might upgrade the power supply soon too.

Just buy a new mid-range gaming PC whenever you found a good deal or on thanks giving deals, then sell your old PC for 1/2 or 1/3 of what you paid. Repeat this process every 3 years, you will always have modern hardware at optimal cost. Spending $600 for upgrades are not optimal. I would think hard if the cost of an upgrade exceed half the price of a modern machine. It's not like your hardware have no value left. Pre-built at normal prices may have some premium over DIY Built, but when there is a deal they are usually cheaper than your DIY equivalent parts.

This is a good, interesting video but... At some point there is a cut off where you should probably think of getting at least a new motherboard to get past all the hassles of the Dell proprietary garbage. Or you could just get a better gpu that doesn't need auxilliary power and get an ssd and forget about all the other things that you don't need, like the case, fans etc...

I have an older XPS8700 that Im gonna turn into a "sleeper" build. 750W gold PSU, 9900k processor, 3070, and 16 gigs of Ram.... the airflow is the most concerning for me as well bc the case is tiny but I got the dual tone white/black and I like the look of it.

Sick graphs!

I'm still slowly saving up for a GPU and powersuppy upgrade. I just learned my gforceGTG35m can handle most games, but most current can't run well with the shadows and stuff on. It does run SFIV really well, but I'm still saving up for better parts and might reuse it.

Im probably gonna rebuilt my 8700 soon. Upgraded the PSU to a 750w Bronze PSU and the GTX 645 with a GTX 1060 6GB

Thanks for the awesome video! I have a quick question, did you end up losing any usb 3.0 ports? If so, maybe you can give me some advice (please). It seems that there are 2 usb 3.0 on the front. I use my xps 8700 for VR game development so I need at least 3 usb 3.0 ports for VR headset and trackers.

Very good video. Explained well and it all made sense

Well at this point, I might just buy a new pc 😂

Ive got a question. I need to connect the front panel of my new case to the mainboard of the 8700. Where do i put the plugs of the power sw, reset, hdd light, Led? And in which order?

Should have watched this before I broke my computer.....

Great vid bro!

People are better off building from scratch than swapping components from prebuilt.

Very good point, excellent!

Good video! I have a very similar Dell XPS and had trouble finding a BIOS update. With the old BIOS I couldn’t get a Samsung SSD to run properly. Any tips about Dell BIOS?

I bought this almost 10 years ago, I upgraded my hard drive, had 4770 replaced with a spare, I upgraded it 3 times w graphics card where the 2 largest ones was overclock 1660, a 2060 which I couldn't fit and as for cooler, I just put it next to my window since I live in alaska. I rather not put any more fans, actually took a one fan off and .... I placed a separate device I'm using. So far the only thing I want to use is my disc drive but doesn't feel viable so was thinking of getting rid of it, I mean I have it disconnected, but haven't taken it out. Other than that, I play red dead 2 at 720 max graphics, 1080 w high graphics w 3 screens just fine without the only fan I have not wigging out on me. I was just looking to see if there's any viable replacement for motherboard but now I see I'd have to just look for something refurbished. Ok video, but not I was looking for.

Hello, I have this machine. I have upgraded mine with a GTX 1060 6GB and an i7-4790k. Handles new releases in 1080p on even ultimate graphics no issue. I am considering switching the case to a standard ATX case from cooler master, I found one which does have a 5.25 drive bay because I do still use discs. Just a couple questions. 1. Aside from figuring out how to wire the front panel header (power button, leds, etc) were there any other issues? 2. Did you have any issue removing the I/O panel and then installing it in the new case? Thanks.

Are you still monitoring this video? I attempted a case swap with the XPS 8700 today and have hit a wall I can’t figure out. There are some specifics you don’t cover here I would like to ask about.

This is my pc still. I'm ready to upgrade. I got a 2060 "squeezed" in there with same power supply and increase ram. That's about it and its been working for almost 8 years now. I just want to know what's cheapest to upgrade or replace to start. I wanted to just get a new mother board and case with eventual power supply. Though not sure the problems that come with it.

If I was going to upgrade an oem pc. 1st thing is I would make sure I had 16 Gigabytes of ram. Second would be an ssd as at least a boot drive. Third would be a low power draw graphics card. I probably wouldn't upgrade anything else. You can't overclock an oem pc so there is that. Many don't have bios updates microcode for better processors. I also would not upgrade the psu hence the low power draw gpu. After that I would just think about doing a full blown new rig. I would not waste money on a retail case.

I have the Dell 8700, can I use the mid size tower version of the tower you used in the video?

I got one with I-7 4790 And I found a broken $25 1060 that I can hopefully fix

hi sir. good day. do you think i can put a 4 pcs rgb ram cover? do you think it will all fit? thanks for the reply..

Your making this video is greatly appreciated! I have been on the verge of making my first gaming PC for some time now and an xps 8700 has fallen into my lap. Would it be viable/possible to upgrade this computer for 4k gaming? If I were to get a GTX 1080 Ti, would the motherboard be able to support it?

thanks for the info

I have that case I have a gtx 1070ti and a i7-8700Q

Replaced my cooler and the fans... smh cpu was hitting 76c it was pretty hot but as soon as I replaced the cooler and thermal paste it dropped to 61-63c power supply wasn’t a problem it had more than enough power to handle my system I’m keeping my case since it’s not that bad and it has a small window to look at the pc ( ordered rgb strips for $17 ) I thought u could use the gtx1060 in sli but wellp it’s not possible I returned the 1060 I bought from Best Buy YEA YEA IK BEST BUY LAUGH AT ME 🤦‍♂️ so now I bought a 1080 for $500 it’s still overpriced but I’ll take it bought my pc in 2015 don’t know what core i5 it had but it hits 4.1 MHz so I’d say it’s still pretty good I’m pretty happy with my setup I’m just eating for some more fans i orders to come in as well as the rgb strips.

thank you!

has anyone had trouble with their pinout post the most recent Intel BIOS update?

what was the total cost of this upgrade?

I have a Gtx 1080 ti with 4 gbs of ram and that needs to change

Thank you for this, I got a Dual GT1060-3GB-OC for $130, it almost didn't fit. Next is the case thanks for doing the foot work for us. Also i was trying to find ram and came across a compatibility issue for the Kingston DDR3 1600/12800 4GB and 8GB but it said it wouldn't be compatible with the i7 4770. Has this ever been a problem with this? I've never had a problem matching up ram but this is kicking my ass.

i have an dell xps 8700, i am wondering what psu is compatible with it because im planning to upgrade my GPU to RX 570 4GB

Hey! It’s me from the stream tonight. I also wanted to add that I actually had the same computer as you started with. And you’ve influenced me to actually buy the parts, and now I have a similar build as you made in the video. Also one question. What graphics card would you recommend for this specific PC that’s around $150-$27(

I think I went a little overboard with the xps 8700 lol

I know this video is a few years old, did you have to do anything special getting the front panel USBs to work? Or was that simply plug and play?

2020 - I use an optical drive

I know this comment is late but is there a video to make this

Thank you so much for this! did you get get the In Win 301 mid or mini? also, do you have the link to the Molex component?

I've also just upgraded ssd and gtx. After you changed motherboards and CPU, did you have any issues with the microsoft license? I thought it was OEM and runs on dell hardware only? THANKS!

Could I add an AIO cooler to my Dell motherboard? Would plugging the pump into the cpu fan header work and the radiator fans into a molex/fan converter work?

whats the best way to upgrade dell studio xps 8100

I did the exact same case move after watching your video. I cant figure out how to get the front led to work where do I connect it to? Also how did u get the rgb fan lights to work?

Great guiding video!! But Will it be able to upgrade the graphic card with the existing motherboard that comes for factory, to a MSI GeForce GTX 1050 TI Gaming X 4G???

The I/o pinout diagram isn't working for me, on an XPS 8900 swap. Installing into a fractal design focus g case, and getting an error message when booting up about the power button. Kind of beside myself right now, and feeling deflated. Any suggestions before I revert everything back to the old case?

My XPS 8700 has 8gb ram, and a i5, i've got a gtx 770 ti, should i buy only a new motherboard, and ddr4 ram?

I wonder if you can advise me at all please? I am trying to re-case a Dell Optiplex 990 SFF into a Xigmatek Scorpio Mid Tower - but the only connection I have been able to fit from the case/front panel is the USB one. 1. There is a large 17x2 pin port on the motherboard but the connector from the case is only half that. 2. There is no 6 pin audio port on the motherboard for the "HD Audio" (headphone/microphone aux) connections that lead to the front of the case. 3. The Dell motherboard has a PWR_SW port (2 rows of pins, 3 on top and 2 underneath) but I am unsure where the dual Power SW, dual Reset SW and dual HDD LED goes, along with the single Power LED and one other single connection (8 pins required to fit all? 4. However there is one very small 2 pin socket on the motherboard, I am unsure what it originally did but it did connect to the Dell front panel somewhere.

So I got a 8700, what if I bought a new motherboard and case but kept the processor, along with salvaging basically everything else?

Instasub. Great video!

Would the case and fans be compatible with the XPS 8900?

Great video! I am doing the same things. Can you link to the Molex adapter used for the fans or just list it here. Thanks!

Good afternoon guys, here in Brazil is 17 pm. I have a dell xps 8700. I want to upgrade the font and video card, but I already realized I need a new case. Detail I look for a case that has the drive input for DVD, because oddly enough I still use for some games !!! How can you help me? I will watch some videos to see what is the best Cabinet option, or Case as it is called. Thanks graciously Anderson Melero

Franco Caliò 4 ore fa I have XPS 8940 and I want ask because when I plug the plug in the power the PC turns on for about 4 seconds and then turns off. While after I can turn it on regularly. So it is normal that it turns on by itself before being started: Thank you.

I've got this exact machine except mine has 16gb ram, here's the thing. I've just ordered a msi gtx 1660 super aero. I did all the homework, but, I forgot about the power draw. Now as you know the XPS 8700 has 2x6pin power cables. So can I just use 1x6 - 8pin adaptor into the gtx? Or will it have to be a 2x6-8pin adaptor? This is causing me serious headache now, I was super happy and looking forward to Gears5 on high settings but now I'm sad. I'm not a noob but have I made a serious noob error with ordering this graphics card? Anyone please help put my mind at ease

I'm looking for suggestions for solving the wifi/Bluetooth adapter issue? I'm planning on installing an rtx 2070 super in mine, and from the looks of it, the only pci-e slot for a wireless card would be getting blocked, since the rtx takes up 2 & 1/2 slots. Any other suggestions for running the antenna outside a PC case, without having to drill holes in it? While have my PC hard wired, I mostly want to get the adapter working for Bluetooth, so I can use an Xbox controller.

Processor suport list? Whatsss plissssssssss pentium ? Celeron Core i ? Plys list processor

Ohhh no! I already buyed a RTX 2060 xc black for this pc, bad purchase?

His slow chair spin is kinda irritating lol

hi brother i have a lonovo v520 pc can i re case it to a gaming pc case ?

What is the highest gaming ssd that you can get that is compatible with the XP’s 8700 motherboard? Or to put it in the pc in general?

Having good airflow is useless... Luke from LinusTechTips made a video about it ...

its funny, 2022 and i did the same with an 1650 D6

Did you have trouble removing the motherboard IO shield? I have heard that shield is actually attached to the case and is not removable.

Good Video !! hey all this is compatible with my xps 8500?

Lol I’m hella late but is it too late to change any of these things

First thing on a Gaming PC build is clean that sucker... How could you be featuring a PC without cleaning it first? 🤨

i have a xps 8300 do you think i can use a ASUS B85M-G mini atx motherboard and a water cooler in it cuz im thinking about getting a i7 4790k cpu soon and the current mother board burnt out

Hey guys, i have a question. I just upgraded with all the parts you use, but when i go to turn it on it doesnt work? I used the same pinout for the front io but the power button does nothing

What would happen if I just shoved at 1080 ti in and didn’t do anything else

sir this is wendys

I want to do this upgrade but I have a dell xps 8300. Can someone explain to me how the conversion to multiple fans. If you plug them into a molex don't they run at full speed all the time? Can you plug them into an adapter and then plug (3) fans into the single sys_fan header? I heard most motherboards can support 1 amp on the fan header but I couldn't find anything on this motherboard. Thanks, Chase

r9 270 is still good though

If anyone has a modified BIOS for NVMe, please discard it?

How did you get the rgb lighting to work mine doesn't have rgb headers:/

Could this build run current gen games well?

can I put b450 for ryzen cpu on it